The present invention relates to a flip top carton construction with a locking reclosure feature formed from a single paperboard blank. The carton is formed with a receptacle portion and a cover portion having downwardly extending skirt portions which telescope over the upper receptacle side and front walls when the carton is closed. In the closed condition, the skirted cover portion is detachably connected to the receptacle portion thus providing a tamperproof closure for the carton. After the carton is opened, locking means are provided on the cover portion and receptacle portion to effect the reclosure feature.
Flip top cartons are generally manufactured in one of two forms. In one such form, the panels which form the carton are laid out side-by-side on the paperboard blank. Cartons prepared from these type blanks are normally loaded while still in the form of an open blank and erected around the contents, or the cartons are pre-glued and filled from the top. However, top loading of such cartons is inconvenient and requires special machinery for forming and closing the top after loading.
In the second generally used method for manufacturing flip top cartons, the panels which form the carton are laid out end-to-end on the paperboard blank. A carton prepared from this type blank is generally side loaded at an intermediate stage of erection because the top of the carton also serves as the manufacturers joint for the carton. In general, side loading cartons are preferred because they may be manufactured on standard end seal equipment. Unfortunately, the side loading cartons of the prior art have proven to be complicated to manufacture and set up, and difficult to open because of impractical design and operating features. Accordingly, to overcome the problems with the prior art designs, the present invention provides a flip top carton which is easy to manufacture and which can readily be side loaded and sealed with only minor changes in the equipment used to fill and seal top loading cartons.